Al Jackson, original 1962 Met, dies at 83.

Al Jackson, a mainstay in the Mets’ rotation when that franchise was just starting out, and an Original Met, died at the age of 83.

Jackson played in the majors with Pittsburgh (1959, 1961), the NY Mets (1962-1965), Cardinals (1966-1967), Mets again (1968-1969) and Reds (1969). He missed out on the Mets’ amazing 1969 WS title, being sold to the Reds in June of that year.

Jackson was 67-99, 3.98 (ERA+ 91) in his MLB career. His 162 game average was 9-14, 3.98. He went 8-20 for the 1962 Original Mets team that was 40-120, and also was 8-20 in 1965.

His best year was when he went 13-15, 2.51 for the 1966 St. Louis Cardinals.

He was a member of the 1967 WS Champion Cardinals, going 9-4, 3.95 that year but didn’t pitch in that year’s WS.

As a hitter, he hit .159 with 1 HR.

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Minor League Report.

AAA: SWB (67-59) won 11-1. C Erik Kratz 3 hits, 2 RBI (solo HR). 1B Eric McBroom (.321) 2 hits, RBI. 3B Mandy Alvarez 3 hits, 3 RBI. DH Zach Zehner 2 RBI.

Starting pitcher Brian Keller (W, 1-1, 6.62 AAA only) 6 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 W, 8 K.
Combined minor league numbers, 2019: 11 starts, 4-2, 3.36

AA: Trenton (68-57) lost 1-0. CF Matt Lipka 2 hits.  Trenton pitchers struck out 15.

Stephan 4 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 W, 7 K.  5.24
Reeves 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.  1.97
Weissert (L, 1-1, 1.47) 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 4 K.
Bristo 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 H, 2 K   3.86

High A: Tampa off.

Low A: Charleston off.

The Major League Yankees were off yesterday, they face Oakland late tonight in Oakland. Tampa Bay lost last night, so the Yankees’ lead is now 10 games, and the magic # for clinching the division outright (barring tiebreakers) is now 27.

Minor League Report.

AAA: SWB (66-59) won 9-3. LF Clint Frazier 2 hits. 3B Francisco Arcia 2 hits. C Kyle Higashioka 2 hits, 2 RBI, solo HR. SS Gosuke Katoh 3 for 3, 2 walks. 2B Mandy Alvarez 3 hits, 5 RBI, a 2-run HR. 2 hits, 2 RBI CF Billy Burns.

Adonis Rosa (W, 5-0, 3.33) 7 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 0 W, 4 K.

AA:  Trenton (68-56) won 12-6 over Reading. SS Kyle Holder 2 hits, 2 RBI, a 2-run HR. 3B Brandon Wagner 3 hits, 4 RBI, Grand Slam. CF Rashad Crawford 2-run HR. DH Angel Aguilar 2-run HR.

High A: Tampa (57-66) split a DH.

Reg. Scheduled Game: Won 5-4 in 8 innings (DHs in minors are 7 inning games). CF Estevan Florial 2 hits, 2 RBI. DH Alexander Palma PH 3-run HR with two out in the top of the seventh.

Makeup of 6/19 postponement: Lost 10-2. 2B Diego Castillo 2 hits, RBI. RF Steven Sensley 2 hits.

Low A: Charleston (65-61) won 9-5. LF Canaan Smith 3 hits, 4 RBI (.313). CF Josh Stowers 3 hits, 2 RBI. C Ryan Lidge 2 hits, RBI.

Game 126. Yanks fall, 8-4. Now head West.

Updated.

The Yanks (83-43) lost today to Cleveland, 8-4, and now head west to face the A’s, Dodgers and Mariners. They are off tomorrow (Monday).

CC came off the IL today, and as I expected, was rusty. He’s been stuck with Bob Gibson (who is ailing, 84, and unfortunately, has pancreatic cancer) at 251 career wins for a while now. Two months.

CC Up, Ryan Dull down.

Thairo Estrada to the IL (hamstring), Tyler Wade up.

Frankly, and sorry if I offend anyone, I didn’t really want CC back this year. He is now 5-7, ERA over 5, and I expected he would not be that effective. He is now 39, and while it’s nice to have him end his career as a Yankee, what has he actually given us this year? 5-7, ERA over 5. Not much. He’s a below average #5 starter who has been on the IL twice, has a bad knee that will probably need a replacement soon, and who (I hate to say this) is best left OFF the postseason roster. 

Sentiment does not win you titles.

This isn’t a knock on CC, but it’s time. His tank is empty, or almost empty, and it’s showing. He’s run out of, or is extremely low on bullets.

Even when good, he won’t give you more than five innings. I want starters to get me into the seventh, and almost NO ONE gets me that far.

You wonder, with 36 games left, if CC gets ANOTHER MLB victory. It probably will happen, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t get another. He’s getting out at the right time.

My biggest fear come October is who in this rotation do you trust to win a must-win game who will give you seven or more innings.

That worries me.

CC gave up 4 runs, inc. a 3-run HR, in the second.

Nestor Cortes, Jr. gave up another HR in the fourth, 5-0.

Cleveland  gets a run in the sixth, 6-0.

At this point I was wondering if the Yanks would score at all. They did, extending this current streak of not being shut out to 208, 100 short of the all-time MLB record of 308, set by the Ruth/Gehrig Yankees of 1931-1933.

D.J. LeMahieu kept that streak alive in the bottom of the seventh with a 2-run HR (21).

Top of the eighth, Cleveland gets a 2-run HR. 8-2.

The Yanks got two in the bottom of the ninth. Gleyber Torres HBP. One out later, Tauchman and LeMahieu (RBI) single, 8-3. Aaron Judge doubles in a run, 8-4, but that is the final.

Tampa Bay won, cutting the Yanks’ lead in the AL East to 9 1/2. The magic # for clinching the division stays at 28.

LeMahieu 2 hits, 3 RBI (2-run HR (21))  .339
Judge 2 hits, RBI
Gardner 2 hits.

Sabathia (L, 5-7, 5.01)  3 IP, 4 R, 4 H, 3 W, 5 K.  Gave up 1 HR.
Cortes, Jr.  2 1/3 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 1 W, 2 K.   4.56    Gave up 1 HR.
Cessa  3 2/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K.  4.36   Gave up 1 HR.

 

Minor League Report. Late inning blues in AAA, High A, Low A. SWB continues slumping; Garcia dominant but wild.

AAA: SWB (65-59) continues to slump, blowing leads in both the 10th and 11th innings to lose 8-7. They scored in the top of the tenth only to give it back in the bottom of the inning. They then scored twice in the top of the eleventh only to give back three.

DH Clint Frazier 2 hits, RBI. 39-year-old C Erik Kratz 2 HR, 3 RBI. 1B Ryan McBroom 2-run HR in the 11th. 3B Mandy Alvarez 2 hits.

Ben Heller back off of IL. Opener. 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  0.00 for AAA.

Deivi Garcia replaced him 5 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 5 W, 7 K.  5.01 at AAA.

Garcia’s total numbers this season (A+/AA/AAA): 5-9, 4.08 but 154 K in 102 2/3 IP (13.5 K/9). 51 walks. Get the walks down a little.  (4.47/9).

Not doing well were recently acquired David Hernandez (2/3 IP, 3 R) and Brady Lail, who recently made his MLB debut, then was DFA’d then reassigned to AAA. Lail lost the game, giving up 3 R, 2 ER, in 1/3 IP.

AA: Trenton (67-56) lost 7-1 to Reading, getting just 3 hits, 2 by RF Ben Ruta. C Brian Navaretto solo HR.

High A: Tampa (56-65) split two games.

Completion of suspended game from Friday: Won 6-1.  CF Estevan Florial 2 hits, solo HR. 2 hits, 2 RBI, 2-run HR for SS Diego Castillo. 1B Steven Sensley solo HR.  A 3-hitter with 16K.

Frank German 3 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 7 K.  3.78
Otto (W, 2-2, 2.31) 4 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 4 W, 7 K.
Wivinis 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.  2.91

Lost the regularly scheduled game, 5-3, giving up 2 in the bottom of the seventh (with the suspended game, the regular game is only 7 innings). CF Florial 2 hits. 3B Oswaldo Cabrera 2 hits, 3 RBI, 3-run HR.

Low A: Charleston (64-61) gave up 2 in the bottom of the ninth and lost 6-5. SS Oswald Peraza 3 hits, RBI. Solo HR. LF Canaan Smith 2 hits (.309). DH Josh Breaux 2 RBI. RF Frederick Cuevas 3 hits.

Standings:

SWB has blown a big lead. Their lead in the IL North is down to one game over Buffalo, 2 over Syracuse, 3 over Rochester and 4 1/2 over Lehigh Valley. They have lost six in a row and 10 of their last 11.

Trenton won the first half Eastern League East with 38-28 record so they are guaranteed a playoff spot. They are in second, 4 back, at 29-28, in the second half.

Tampa is 28-27, 2 games out, in the second half. They finished the first half 28-38, 13 1/2 out and in fifth place in the FSL North.

Charleston is tied for 3rd, 27-28, 5 out in the SAL South. They were 3rd, 37-33, just a 1/2 game out, in the first half.

Game 125. Yanks hit 4 HR (2 by Gleyber), beat Indians 6-5.

The Yankees (83-42) edged out Cleveland, 6-5 on Saturday afternoon, hitting four HR in the process.

Manager Aaron Boone, as well as Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia were ejected for arguing balls and strikes. For Gardner, it was for banging his bat against the dugout roof in protest. He’s finding out umps don’t like that, even if he doesn’t actually SAY anything.

James Paxton once again had the first inning blues, giving up two runs. He came into the game with a first inning ERA of 10.71 and that will go up. Maybe the Yanks should use an opener when he pitches so he starts in inning number two?

The Yanks got a run back in the second when with two out, Cameron Maybin walked and scored on a single by Mike Tauchman in which the OF made an error. Maybin scored on the error, but Tauchman was thrown out trying for second.

The Yanks tied it in the third when Austin Romine singled and was forced out by Thairo Estrada. With two out, Estrada stole second and then scored on a single by D.J. LeMahieu.

The Yanks got back-to-back HR by Didi Gregorius (11) and Gleyber Torres (28) in the fourth to go up 4-2.

Paxton gave up two runs in the top of the fifth. Tie game.

Bottom of the fifth: LeMahieu homers (20). Yanks up 5-4.

Torres hit his second HR of the game (29) in the sixth, and the Yanks went up 6-4.

Cleveland got a run off of Zack Britton in the eighth, 6-5.

Aroldis Chapman worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

We’ll have to see what Tampa Bay does, but going into that game, the Yanks’ lead over them is 11 games and the magic # drops to 28.

LeMahieu 2 hits, 2 RBI, .338, solo HR (20)
Gregorius solo HR (11)
Torres 2 solo HR (29)

Paxton (W, 9-6, 4.53) 5 IP, 4 R, 6 H, 3 W, 4 K
Ottavino (H, 26) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.67
Kahnle (H, 23) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.  2.82
Britton (H, 27) 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K.  2.26
Chapman (S, 34) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.36

Minor League Report. SWB in slump.

AAA: SWB (65-58) is slumping. They lost 5-2 Friday. Their lead is down to 2 games. They have lost five in a row and 9 of their last 10.

LF Clint Frazier 2 hits. C Kyle Higashioka 2 hits, RBI. RF Trey Amburgey 3 hits.

AA: Trenton (67-55) beat Reading 7-5. 2B Hoy Jun Park 2 hits, 2 RBI. CF Ben Ruta 3 hits. DH Isiah Gilliam 3-run HR. C Kellin Deglan solo HR.

High A: Tampa’s game was suspended with Tampa up 4-0 in the fourth inning.

Low A: Charleston (64-60) lost 12-3. DH Josh Breaux 3-run HR. –